1. Mrs. Hunt-Barron Berea Middle School ELA
Evaluating Websites
Mrs. Hunt-Barron
Berea Middle School
ELA

2. Review How do you evaluate search results for usefulness?
What is the official name of a web address?
What should you look for in the URL?
Which URL endings are usually most reliable?

3. Why is it important to evaluate?
Learning critical reading and thinking skills is important in all areas of life?
Think, pair, share
Why is critical reading and thinking even more important when it comes to the internet?

4. Why is it important to evaluate websites?
Books, magazines, & newspaper articles
Proofread by editors
Meets standards of publishers
TV meet standards of networks and FCC
TV, movies & video games
All receive ratings
Internet = no checks and balances
You are linked directly to the author/creator of the website

5. Evaluate Websites 1. Usefulness 2. Truthfulness
Does this site help to answer my research questions?
Is it user friendly?
2. Truthfulness
Constantly ask yourself, is this information true?

6. User Friendly Websites
Easy access to information (electronic table of contents)
Multimedia related to content
Hyperlinks work
Has an internal search engine
Has an introductory or welcoming message that:
States the purpose of the site
States the sponsor’s name or logo

7. After choosing website w/many positive characteristics
Skim the page to get the overall type of information
If information is useful, take a closer look
Scan facts, dates, statistics, people or topics
If appropriate, read more carefully.
Take notes (paraphrasing ideas)

8. Evaluating Truthfulness
You are now web detectives
Look for clues
Authority
Purpose
Objectivity
Timeliness

9. Authority Who wrote the info (most important factor)
Are they a credible source?
Educational background or experience
Expert on the topic
Qualifications
address
Should be identified:
on the home page
in a welcoming statement
under another tab in the table of contents (ie. About Us or Contact Us)

10. Purpose Quality website
States the purpose in the opening paragraph or welcoming statement
Purposes:
Inform
Persuade reader to believe or do something
Entertain

11. Timeliness Major advantage over printed text Up-to-date info
Most important w/info that changes quickly
Weather, current events, stock quotes
Credible websites have a footer
Shows the date when created OR
Shows the date when last updated
If you can’t find a date, the info may not be timely

12. Further Determining Reliability
Be suspicious
Question whether the info is accurate or not
When facts can be found in more than one location, the reliability increases
Look at other websites related to topic and compare facts

13. Activity Use the previous activity
Locate and open the website you ranked as #1 based on your search results evaluation
Now evaluate the website using the worksheet (E-7)

14. Things To Look Out For
Propaganda

15. Glittering Generalities

16. Name Calling
My opponent is a flip-flop man who cannot make up his mind. He changes mind with the breeze! How could anyone follow such a weak-willed flip-flopper?

17. Looking at Website Truthfulness
Does it look real?
Does the information make sense?
Can you confirm the information?
Who created the website?
Can you contact the author?

18. Reading Web pages Most web pages include: Headings Subheadings
Bold or italicized words
Graphics (pictures, icons, charts, maps, etc)
Multimedia (audio, video, etc)